venerdì 5 settembre 2014

The name of Giuseppe Valentini has captured the interest of a few scholars in this century. Andreas Moser believes that his music is comparable to that of Albinoni, while Arnold Schering points out his compositional talent. Nonetheless, no in-depth biography has of yet appeared. His later life and works are somewhat documented, while the events of his life in general and the circumstances of his death remain obscure. The principal sources of information are the title pages and prefaces of his printed works, in addition to the payment records for his services as an instrumentalist. His date of birth can be gleaned from a description that the composer provides of himself in the dedication to his opus 1, the Sinfonie à 3 of 1701. Referring to himself as "fiorentino", he claims to be "a youth of merely twenty years of age". From this dedication, written in Rome and dated 5 January 1701, one may assume that he was born in 1680. It is thus logical to conclude that Valentini was either born in Florence or had adopted the Tuscan capital as his own, as Corelli did Bologna, before departing for Rome upon completion of his musical apprenticeship.

giovedì 4 settembre 2014

Mentioned by Dante amongst 'the most illustrious poets of his time, Thibaut de Champagne (1201-1253), also called 'Thibaut the Songwriter', was one of France's greatest trouvères (or 'musician-poet' in langue d’oïl). He left us some sixty songs, cultivating highly varied musical genres: songs of love and of the crusades, pastourelles, hymns to the Virgin, jeux-partis… Count of Champagne and King of Navarre, grandson of Marie de France and great-grandson of Eleanor of Aquitaine,he was chosen by the Holy See and numerous barons to lead a new crusade in 1239. A seal from 1226 portrays him on horseback, brandishing his sword. This disc proposes an anthology of his compositions, all coming from the very famous songbook copied at the end of the 13th century: the 'King's manuscript'. As a counterpoint to the songs and in harmony with them, it also presents motets and instrumental dances representative of the musical repertoires of the period.

The gallichone, in case you were wondering, is a bass lute with a long, fretted neck; it is also known as a mandora. An image of the artwork might have been helpful. The instrument's solo repertory, mostly from the 18th century and as much German as Italian, is not large. One of the largest groups of solo pieces is a set of 18 multi-movement works by Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello, excerpted and called sonatas here, although they're really somewhere between sonatas and suites. Each one has between three and five movements, a minute or two long, in simple binary form. The composer, born in Florence, bounced around the courts of central Germany for awhile and finally settled in Stuttgart. His successors there included prominent members of the Mannheim School, and many of these pieces have an attractive lightness that was fully up to date around 1740, when they are thought to have been composed. But the biggest attraction is simply hearing the big low lute, generally used as a continuo instrument, emerge in a solo role. Brescianello was known as a violinist, and hearing him play these works must have been an attractive dose of trickery. The listener's enjoyment here is impeded, however, by unpleasantly resonant sound from a Padua church; apparently the engineers simply went in search of the most live sound environment they could find in the area. Gallichone player Terrel Stone's performances, however, are sprightly and clean. Certainly worthwhile for students of the instrumentarium of the 18th century.

mercoledì 3 settembre 2014

The casual browser might assume from the large word Farinelli and the picture of a bearded hipster dude in the graphics that this is another album devoted to arias connected with Italian castrato Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli. But look more closely: the title, "El Maestro," is in Spanish. The album deals with Farinelli's tenure in Madrid, where he held the title of chamber musician to King Philip V and was a sort of impresario. His performing career was over by this time, and the album is mostly instrumental (a couple of countertenor arias, one of them the Farinelli hit Alto giove, are included), consisting of music by composers with whom Farinelli was associated, and might have programmed in Spain. This may seem a slender concept on which to hang the relaunch of the venerable Archiv early music imprint, and about all you can say in its favor is that the music is a great deal of fun. The program mixes opera overtures of the middle 18th century with some engaging dances by Spanish composer José de Nebra, the aforementioned arias, and independent symphonies by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Adolf Hasse. The music is all almost unknown, and it is for the most part zippy and extremely attractive. Start in with the very first track, the overture to La festa cinese (The Chinese Festival) of Nicola Conforto, with its unique rhythmic drive, and then sample the overtures by Jommelli and Traetta, opera seria composers who are almost forgotten today but whom any fan of the time would have known. The Concerto Köln, with a solid group of 28 players, gives this novel music a good deal of rhythmic zest, and it's hard not to conclude that even if the concept is strange, if that's what it took to get the music rediscovered, the effort was worth it. Archiv's studio sound is masterful.

martedì 2 settembre 2014

The vocal ensemble Cantus Colln led by Konrad Junghänel is one of the most famous European ensembles of its kind with over 30 CD recordings. Cantus Colln has won numerous international awards and is noted for including compelling performances of musical rarities as well as groundbreaking interpretations of the "classics" of the baroque repertoire.

The set from Deutsche Harmonia Mundi features 10 compact discs that were formerly unavailable.

This formation is led by Gerard Zuchetto and sings Occitan troubadours ballads from 12th and 13th centuries, the same Medieval songs which gave rise to the first modern literature of Europe. An Alchemy of words and sounds, emotions and accents, of Medieval sobriety and contemporary minimalism into the music, a living art to transport us to the most profound sentiment of Occitan poetry.Higtly effective instrumentation and a subtil use of voices help to put together a performance which has won the seal of approval of the most stringent international festivals and which also demonstrate a capacity to surprise audiences unfamiliar with this kind of music.

There are five major works, each charts the progress of the monarch from his time as prince, to his wedding and the final years of greatness when he was to hand the throne to a monarch even greater than him.The "Musique de l'enfance du Dauphin" is particularly striking for its pompous opening with timpani and brass, one of the more splendid pieces composed by Philidor. The delightful Muzette that follows the first two pieces also includes the classic hurdy-gurdy most ably played here. Without doubt however, grandeur and chivalry are most perennially espoused in the Music for the Marriage of the King which is awash with delightful dance like movements of astonishing melodic invention. Once again, the opening fanfares are imposing and succinctly clear whilst the string and wind music is almost dreamily played to add to the sense of grandeur and occasion.Savall's ensemble are well schooled in this sort of magnificent music that is distinctly similar to other issues in the series dedicated to kings. The grand 24-violin consort then follows and this is another spectacular example of the wealth of music permeating the Royal Palaces in France at that time. Finally we have the most mournful and intricate music in the shape of "Les Musiques Royales", the grandeur of one reign ending and another beginning as the music here slips over to Louis XIV's reign.